Trolley wire fixture



2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed May 10, 1949 3 .m. cw @M g R Vm 3 Q Nb um Q a 3 mm Y MT E VA M m /Y s m a T U r M A m Y B H E ow 5 Feb. 10, 1953 s. s. MATTHES TROLLEY WIRE FIXTURE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed May 10, 1949 Q I m INVENTOR. SAMUEL S MATTI'I E5 ATQWYS.

atented Feb. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5582811291 I mommy WIRE semen-s;- Matthias; Mansfield; ohip', aisi noito T hc Ohio Brass co pa Mansfield; 0111c, a

tartann of New Jersey new; limits it, wits-g am. 52,411

The present invention relates gen ant to trol ley wire fixtures and more par uiar yeqircerned with novel andvery usefultrolly fittings, including crossing devices nqsw tc es.

In a conventional trolley cro si' gatrig'lger is disposed between adjacentrunners and against one of said runners for engagement with a cur rent collector travelling along.v that runner. 'Ifhis trigger is moved by the currentcollectoiiaway from the runner along which the collector is ning, and a bridging member associated with .the trigger through a lever carried by a body with which the runners are suitably integrally formed, is thrown into position to receive the travelling current collector andguidc itacros s. the body to an opposing aligned runner. 'Ihebridging mem oer, however, is not always in alignment with the proper runners to safely transfer the current collector across the device and; therefore, is likely to be derailed and damaged during traverse of the crossing. Furthermore, if therjis any substantial variation in the size of current col lectors used with a givn crossing'pjam'iningf and derailing for lack. of adequat cle'aranc'ein the throat of the device between the runners is liltely, Still another disadvantage. of these crossings is the noise incident to their op ation, 7

According to the preseiit iiveziapm thesvarious short-comings and diificulties of t t will be entirely e'lirninated. .Addit onal1y,[t ese advantages may' be obtained wit -curacy attend-' ing economic or structfural crsadvanage and without any increase in maintenance or repair costs.

For a better understanding of this mveniticn, those skilled in the art are referred tothe".folldwr-v ing detailed description taken" in conjunction with the drawings acco pany ing and forming a part of this specification," i which" Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a crossin'gdvi embodying the present invention in a" preferred form;

Fig. 2 is a fragmenetary perspective device of Fig. 1, showing 1' v with trolley wires and a" current oll ectomi V Fig. 3 is a top plan view" or the device or Fig. 1;-

Fig. 4 is a Sid'elevationalyiewof the dyioe'of Fig. 1 in partial section; I V

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of one of the triggers of this invention: and;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line ililoi Figl 1'.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that this invention generally embodies a trolle'y crossing in which the current. collector-engag ng?triggers-are resiliently expandable and cola-sweetie: Also;

is (c1. let-=27) inaccordance with the better practice of this invention, special stationary guide means overlapped by the bridging member, and shock-absorbing and impact-dreading means, are incorpo rated in the crossing. a

More particularly, a typical crossing of my invention, as shown inFigs. 1' to 4, inclusive, comprises a body 10 having a plurality of integral eye lugs l l spaced along its side, and apairof spaced, downwardly directed flanges IZ defining a channel. in which a current collector may travel betwe the ends of thebody. The eye lugs are provided for engagement with supporting wires or cables the usual manner. Two pairs of straight u shaped runners l4 extending divergently fro rn opposite ends of the body are formed integrally withsaid body and their under portions are disposed for engagement with a current collector i] (Fig. 2). Body lfl is further provided with twov spaced slots lQ-Jiif and a centrally locatedaperture ZG -to receive moving parts, as will be'describd, and with two threaded apertures 2| near its ends and between adjacent runrirs'l l. c n a A- bridging member 24, including the usual copper shunt E',-is" securedmovably to body it by a cent 23 extending through aperture 2%. This bridging rninber 24 carries between each of its ends and its Inid-seotion two pins 2T--21', whichextend upwardly through slots Iill9 for operative engagement with actuating mechanism generally indicated as M. Bridge member 26, urthermore,-has endportions 25 the upper part of each of which is partially cut away for a p'urposeto be described, and the bridge 24 is so dimensioned as substantially to extend from one opposed runner E4 to another and thus provide an essentially continuous current collector guide- Way of uniform shape and size from end to end of the crossing. vThe height of the runners and bridging .niember is" such that the flanges of the current collector do. not ride on body 19.

'Iflh actuating mechanism, which accounts for motion of the bridge to meet the guide-way requirements of current collectors traversing the crossing, comprises a pair of levers 30- 39 which arexsupported pivotally between their endsby support pins 3i screwed into apertures 2|, and arpivotally' attached at their adjacent bifurcated ends to roller pins 21 -21". At their rem t sna these levers areeach provided with a trigger 35 which is disposed between adjacent runners- |4, said levers be i ng turned downwardly at said remote ends and projecting through 3 spaces provided between the intermediate portions of the runners.

Triggers each comprise a pair of contact shoes 36 carried pivotally on a pin 38 fastened to the remote end of each of the levers, said shoes having lug or web portions 39 near one end and on the inside faces and apertures in these webs 39 are in register and receiving pin 38 holds the shoes assembled to the levers. Shoes 36 are resiliently disposed apart at their other ends by means of a spring 40 located between and bearing upon opposed inner faces of the shoes, being retained by opposed short pins 42 integrally formed with the shoes. An abutment means 44 integrally formed with each lever Eli-$0 is disposed at the remote extremity of the lever for engagement with the normally closed end portion of the triggers, to position the shoes and assure at all times engagement of the current collector with the triggers.

A cam lever 45 having a sharp peaked cam surface 41 to assure that the mechanism will not have a dead center position, is fulcrumed at one end adjacent to the side of body Ii) and is connected at its other end to a carriage bolt 49 resiliently fastened to the body by a spring 50 which has a loop at one end hooked through an eye lug 5| (Fig. 3) extending upwardly from the top of body I0, whereby the tension of the actuating means may be adjusted. Roller pin 21 carries a roller in the end of lever 30 and carries below the said lever and in slot I9 a bumper ring 56 of rubber or rubber-like material, but suitably of any soft non-metallic substance such as cloth or leather. This bumper is so dimensioned as to engage with the body when the bridging member comes into alignment with one or the other of the opposed sets of runners I4.

Guide means GI which assures the proper alignment of runners I4 and bridge 24 comprises a generally triangular shaped extension at the inner side of each runner I4. The outer face of each said guide means BI is substantially in line with the outside surface portion of the adjacent runner and of partial height of the runner. This guide means BI is cast integral with the body I0 and the end of runner I4 in each instance. The end portions 25 and BI overlap.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that in the operation of this device, current collector I'I travels along one or the other of a pair of runners, as indicated in Fig, 2, and the flange II' thereof engages a trigger 35 and moves it toward and into engagement with the other runner whereby roller 55 is carried beyond the peak of cam lever 46 so that spring 59 becomes efiective and automatically throws the end of lever 30 over-center thereby moving the bridging member 24 into position in alignment with the proper runner to receive the current collector. This action is all practically instantaneous, assuming an average speed of travel of the current collector. Consequently, the shoe is compressed almost at the same instant that flange II comes into contact therewith, if clearance between the shoe and the said opposing runner is inadequate to permit free passage of the current collector. The collector thus is permitted to travel on through the throat defined by the runners. When the collector reaches the bridge 24, it is guided on the bridge by one ofthe extensions BI, providing the bridge is not in exact alignment with the runner. Further travel of the current collector brings it to the inner end of the opposing runner and on through the throat of the other pair of runners where it may compress the engaged shoe and spring 40 of the other trigger if the collector fiange does not have free passage. The impact involved upon the throwing of the bridge is taken up, and the noise normally incident to the operation is dampened, by rubber bumper ring 56, as described above.

In Fig. 6 is shown a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1 through the runners and the trigger to show the normal relative position of the runners and shoes of the trigger before and after the I current collector has passed through the crossing.

possible to-produce a crossing device with the divergent angle of the runners as small as 10.

The width of current collectors is not standardized and may vary considerably on the same system; therefore, it has been found that a device made for the smallest width of current collector, will also operate with one of a reasonably greater width due to the yielding of the shoes 36.

For instance take a device which has been designed for a minimum angle of divergence between runners and for'a current collector of a predetermined width, the space 62 between the shoe 3S and I4 (Fig. 6) will just permit the free passage of the collector flange but should a wider collector or one with thicker flanges attempt to pass through the said space, the collector would be dewired if the trigger were unyielding; note in Fig. 6 the shoe 36" is in engagement with the runner I4". But the spring 40 would permit the shoe 35' to yield thus increasing the space 62 and the wider current collector would then pass through safely.

The bolts 63 may be used to secure projecting, end members to the runners for smooth passage of the current collector onto and oif of the body member I0. Such end members difier depending upon the size and shape of the trolley wire. Such end member is shown in Fig. 6, U. S. Patent 2,053,965;

From the foregoing description, it is also clear that a plurality of stationary guide means and shock-absorbing and dampening means may be provided in accordance with this invention, where special circumstances require the additional expense. Likewise, other routine modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I have shown and described my invention as applied to an overhead fitting to guide a current collector at the crossing of two trolley wires, but it will be evident that the sam operating mechanism as herein shown and described may be applied to actuate the bridging member on a trolley fitting of the type shown in U. 8. Patent 2,053,965 cited above.

Having thus described the present invention so that others skilled in the art may understand the same, I state that what I desire to obtain by Letters Patent is set outin what is claimed.

What is claimed is:

l. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, a bridging member movably carried by the body for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, and a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of said runners, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together and resilient means between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart.

2. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, a bridging mem ber movably carried by the body for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including. a lever iulcrumed between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, and a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of said runners, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together near one end and resilient means be tween the shoes resiliently holding apart the other ends or the shoes.

3. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, a bridging member movably carried by the body for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever rulcrume'd between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, and a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of the runners, said trigger. comprising a pair of shoes hinged together near one end, a spring between the shoes 1 resiliently holding the shoes apart at the other end, and abutment means associated with the lever to engage the shoes and limit to a predetermined amount the spread of the shoes.

4. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a, plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, stationary guide means for a current collector associated with the body and disposed adjacent to and in substantial alignment with one of the runners, a bridging member movably carried by the body and overlapping the guide means for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, and a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together between their ends and resilient means between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart.

5. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, a bridging member movably carried by the body for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends pivoted near one end to the bridging member, a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector, and a soft non-metallic element between a portion of said body and the bridging member for engagement with these two parts to dampen impact shocks, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together between their ends andresilient means between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart.

6. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, stationary guide means for a current collector integrally formed with the body and in substantial alignment with a runner, a bridging member movably carried by the body and overlapping the guide means for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, and a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of the runners, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together near one end, a spring between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart at the other end, and abutment means integral with the lever to engage the shoes and limit spread of the shoes.

7. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, stationary guide means for a current collector integrally formed with the body and each runner and in substantial alignment with the runners, a bridging member movably carried by the body and overlapping the guide means for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of said runners, and a rubber bumper carried by the bridging member for engagement with the body to cushion impact shocks, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together and resilient means between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart.

8. A trolley fitting comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, stationary guide means for a current collector integrally formed with the body and the opposed ends of each runner and disposed adjacent to and in substantial alignment with the runners, a bridging member movably carried by the body and overlapping the guide means for defining with two opposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends and. pivoted near one end to the bridging member, a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector and motion in response to force applied by said collector travelling along one of said runners, and a rubber bumper carried by the bridging member for engagement with the body to cushion impact shocks, said trigger comprising a pair of shoes hinged together near one end, a spring between the shoes resiliently holding the shoes apart and 7 abutment means integral with the lever for engagement with the shoes to limit shoe spread.

9. Trolley fitting apparatus comprising a bridging member, a lever pivoted near one end of the bridging member for operating said member, a rubber bumper carried by the said member to cushion impact shocks, and a trigger associated with the lever to move said lever and bridging member under force applied by a current collector, said trigger being compressible and including a pair of opposed elongated shoes hinged together near one end, and a spring between the shoes and resiliently holding said shoes apart at the other end of the trigger.

10. Trolley fitting apparatus comprising a bridging member, a lever pivoted near one end of the bridging member for operating said member, and a trigger associated with the lever to move said lever and bridging member under force applied by a current collector, said trigger being compressible and including a pair of opposed elongated shoes hinged together between their ends, and resilient means between the shoes resiliently holding said shoes apart.

11. Trolley fitting apparatus comprising a bridging member, a lever pivoted near one end of the bridging member for operating said member, and a trigger associated with the lever to move said lever and bridging member under force applied by a current collector, said trigger being compressible and including a pair of opposed elongated shoes hinged together between their ends, resilient means between the shoes resiliently holding said shoes apart, and abutment means carried by the lever for engagement with the shoes to limit shoe spread.

12. Trolley fitting apparatus comprising a bridging member, a lever pivoted near one end of the bridging member for operating said member, and a trigger associated with the lever to move said lever and bridging member under force applied by a current collector, said trigger being compressible and including a pair of opposed elongated shoes hinged together near one end, a spring between the shoes resiliently holding said shoes apart at their other end, and abutment means carried by the lever for engagement with the hinged ends of the shoes to limit the spread of the shoes.

13. An overhead trolley fitting to guide a current collector comprising a body, a plurality of runners extending from the body for engagement with trolley wires, a bridging member movably carried by the body for defining with two 0pposed runners a guide-way for a current collector, and means for operating the bridging member including a lever fulcrumed between its ends to the body to move in a plane parallel to the plane of the body and pivoted near one end to the bridging member, a trigger secured to the other end of the lever and disposed between two adjacent runners for engagement with the current collector to move the said other end of the lever in either direction transverse to the body and to move the said one end of the bridging member in a plane parallel to the plane of the body in response to force applied to the trigger by the current collector depending on the direction of approach, and a soft non-metallic element between a portion of said body and the bridging member for engagement with these two parts to dampen impact shocks.

SAMUEL S. MATTHES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are 01' record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,844,405 Matthes Feb. 9, 1932 1,955,134 Kowalski Apr. 17, 1934 2,188,113 Holden Jan. 23, 1940 2,225,766 Broom et al Dec. 24, 1940 2,290,927 Wharam July 28, 1942 2,324,732 Slack July 20, 1943 

